PeteyxRosalina: Origin
by Mothralina95
Summary: Petey Piranha is sent an invitation to apply for a Mario Kart tournament (Mario Kart Wii), though meets Rosalina on his way there. A friendship develops which could lead to something more.


Summer had begun again in the Mushroom Kingdom, and with a new summer, came a new advancement in the go-kart races. Citizens and visitors of the Mushroom Kingdom alike could register to apply for the official roster.  
There were naturally some who were considered mandatory, where application was more of a formality than a necessity. Applications reached Princess Peach's Castle first, and then to Toad Town, in order for Mario, Luigi, and Peach to apply first. Others were sent to areas such as Yoshi's Island, Diamond City, and Sarasaland.  
When Princess Peach finished hers, she included a note with a surprising message. The message ordered a royal request to search for and give an application to none other than Petey Piranha. She ordered it top-priority, as she genuinely wanted him to race with the others. She had noticed that he had been absent from the last set of tournaments, and the remembrance of an act of his many years into the past suddenly left her wanting to make it up to him (tension between him and Mario made this tougher than one may think).  
The order was received with shock, but it was still a royal decree, and as such, their best air deliveryman, Parakarry, was sent to find the requested individual. Ever since certain events prior, Petey Piranha was known to have flown to the Mushroom Kingdom, so Parakarry knew he could find him. He first flew to an uninhabited region between Peach's Castle and a desert, where he happened to find a sleeping Petey Piranha. Parakarry knew better than to wake him up, so he left the envelope containing a race application on his head, so he wouldn't miss it when he woke up.  
Hours later, when he woke up, he found the envelope and simply tossed it aside, as no one he was friends with wrote letters. Before he flew off, however, an enticing scent drove him towards the letter, which in big letters told him to open it. Peach anticipated that Petey might ignore a letter, so she soaked the envelope in a flavorful stew and let it dry so Petey would smell the food and give the envelope his attention. It read that he had been formally requested to apply to become a racer in the next series of Mario Kart tournaments, and that it would be followed by a royal buffet. As soon as the word "buffet" was read, Petey instantly took to the air and made his way to Toad Town.  
Unfortunately, the Mario Kart Center had relocated since Petey was last there, and Peach had forgotten to include this in her note, thus Petey found himself stuck in Toad Town. He asked for directions, but the Toads could not understand his language, as they only spoke and understood English. Petey went to a shopping center, wondering what to do, until he noticed something most peculiar. Not far from him, he saw a human woman, but she was completely unfamiliar. She wore a turquoise dress, was followed by a floating, yellow star-shaped creature, and appeared to be reading something.  
For reasons he could not make sense of, he found himself staring at her, but he shook his head and ignored her. However, he heard her say "Mario Kart tournament", and his interest in the woman quickly rekindled. He walked behind her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was reading. He made out a map, before she turned around and asked,  
"May I help you?" in a voice that Petey found both soothing and invigorating. He paused out of enthrallment of her voice, but again snapped to and asked her if she was also headed for Mario Kart Center and if he could follow her; but she politely apologized that she could not understand his language. However, her little buddy told her what Petey said, and that he can understand him.  
The woman asked if Petey understood English, to which Petey nodded in response. She then explained that a man with a moustache and a green hat told her the Mario Kart Center could be found in Toad Town, but that when she couldn't find it, she got a map of the entire kingdom to find it herself, but was having no luck. She also expressed that the map appears rather vague, and uses general directions and landscapes for direction as opposed to specific paths and proportional distances.  
After requesting permission, Petey read the map and figured out where Mario Kart Center was. He had flown over the Kingdom many times, and recognized the landscapes and how to use them to find the new Mario Kart Center, which was now in Mushroom City. The yellow creature, which had introduced itself to Petey as a Luma, told the woman that Petey now knew where the Center could be found, and she asked him if he would guide her. Petey nodded, and they all went outside. Mushroom City was a long way, and Petey could go there faster by flying. After he noticed that the woman was floating, he lifted off the ground and began to make his way. However, the Luma followed him and told him that his "Mama" dislikes flying long distances if she can avoid it, since she wears dresses. Surprisingly, Petey landed and they all began to walk.  
It wasn't long when the woman introduced herself as Rosalina, in her sweet, tender voice. The Luma then translated Petey's introduction of his full name, Petey Piranha. After being asked how she ended up there, Rosalina began to explain that she lived on a specially built comet. She then told that while she was orbiting Earth for her now-annual visits, she received an invitation and application to a Mario Kart tournament. Her invitation told her to land at a city named Toad Town, where Mario (whom she had met) and the Princess would greet her. However, she did not know how to get there, and the invitation did not provide any instructions as to how to find the town. As a result, she looked around until she saw a Mushroom-shaped continent and landed there. However, she ended up landing in Sarasaland, a completely different kingdom. It was there that she met a man similar in appearance to Mario, but thinner and in green. Assuming it would be too late for the royal greeting, she asked the man if he knew about Mario Kart, and when he replied yes, how to get there. He told her it was in Toad Town, located in the Mushroom Kingdom which was neighbored with Sarasaland.  
Getting back in her comet, she eventually reached the Mushroom Kingdom and subsequently Toad Town. After a thorough inspection of the entire town, she realized the man lied to her, though for what reason she couldn't figure out. Thus, she purchased a map and decided to find the Mario Kart Center herself. She then concluded with the fact that she had not been reading it for long before Petey showed up, but added that it might not have made much difference as she couldn't make heads or tails of the map.  
After the story, there was little conversation between all of them. Rosalina and Luma were following Petey, and he simply walked and turned where necessary by following his memory of how to get to Mushroom City (since the last time he kart raced, one of the tracks was in the city). Although it was somewhat difficult, as he had never seen the region at ground-level, something in him let him know he was going the right way, so as not to let this new woman down.  
They walked in silence some more, until Petey suddenly groaned and plopped into a seated position. He explained that he was not used to walking for so long, and that his legs had their limits. Deciding she would have to wait until Petey could walk again, Rosalina sat down and began to nibble on something. Petey's stomach growled, and Rosalina's eating did not help his hunger. She couldn't help but notice Petey staring, so she offered some of her snacks. Petey figured that if she had been eating them that they couldn't be bad, and he had a stronger stomach than any human in the first place, so he opened his mouth and gestured for a toss. She threw the snack into his mouth, and he quickly swallowed.  
Petey felt a sweet, melting sensation from the treat, but that wasn't all; he felt as though both his hunger and his thirst had been partially satisfied! Seeing his enjoyment, Rosalina tossed him more, until the Luma stopped her from giving them all to the hungry plant (after all, he hadn't even had any). However, she was not worried, and she promised they would all have their fair share. She revealed a wand with a golden, star-shaped outline at its head, which she pointed at the few remaining snacks and used to somehow make more appear. She continued to feed Petey and the Luma, and they afterwards sat and enjoyed the day. There was a pleasant breeze, and the shining sun beautifully complemented the clouds. Before they lost too much track of time, they all got up and went back on their way.  
Rosalina then explained to Petey that he had eaten Star Bits, and that she herself had actually lived off of them for as long as she could remember. Having been energized by these "Star Bits", Petey had been walking somewhat faster than before, and they covered much more ground than earlier. Before long, Mushroom City was in view. Petey was glad, as they had to fly next to Mushroom Bridge, which connected the island of Mushroom City to the mainland.  
It was still daytime when they landed, but this didn't really matter as Mushroom City was always busy. Thankfully, there were signs and directions to the Mario Kart Center due to the upcoming tournaments, so it did not take them long to find it. As soon as they got there, they turned in their completed racer applications and bid each other goodbye. Rosalina made her way back to her comet with the Luma, while Petey simply lay down in a field outside the city. Almost instantly, Petey missed the woman being in his company, and Rosalina could in fact tell before she had left.  
As Petey lay in the field, he could only think about the sound of the woman's voice, and the wise, kind look in her eyes. He also remembered that in a few days, he would have to go back for the qualifications, simply proving that he could handle himself and deciding which kart he would use. As he relaxed into a nap (thinking of none other than Rosalina's voice in a lullaby), he heard a distant boom, and a bright light over the horizon to his right. He sat up and turned, only to see a magnificent blue and azure comet with a shining white head and a streaming tail burst into view. It ascended into space shortly after it was seen, but it left a message directly in Petey's view,  
"May the stars shine down on you," he heard as he read the same words from the sky. The sound of Rosalina's ethereal voice echoed in Petey's head, and he had no problem drifting into an eternally peaceful sleep, dreaming of his new friend. Sometime later, he heard a familiar voice, and his grogginess made him assume it to be Rosalina. He was then answered by,  
"Rosalina? No! It's me King Boo!" said King Boo, trying to wake his sleeping friend. Petey abruptly snapped back to reality, and realized where he was. He asked what was wrong, and King Boo told him that it was qualification day, and that the trials had already started! In a panic, Petey hastily flew into the air and in random directions, until King Boo told him which way the Center was. They both quickly flew towards its location and, upon getting there, learned that neither of their turns had passed. They took a seat in the lobby to wait their turn. Not long after, who should appear but Rosalina, who had also come to wait her turn. Although she was somewhat uneasy around the ghost, she took a seat by Petey, as she had never been acquainted with anyone there but him. They sat in silence for some time, until King Boo introduced himself to the woman, and told her that if she wished to engage in conversation with Petey, he could translate Petey's words.  
Before Rosalina thought to ask how he knew Petey needed translation, the Toad at the desk announced that it was Rosalina's turn to qualify. Waving goodbye, Rosalina got up and left through the indicated door to head to the track. Not wanting to simply sit there, Petey got up and asked King Boo to ask if there was a spectators' area. King Boo did what he was asked, and told Petey where it could be found. Soon, they were sitting out in the open, and saw many familiar faces along with Rosalina on the track. She was in a short, wide golden kart with blue headlights, announced as the Honeycoupe. Shortly after, a horn sounded off and she took off down the track. She was clearly a natural, effortlessly making sharp turns and dodging pre-set hazards. She also displayed gorgeous tricks off of the ramps, and was soon at the starting line. She drove the car into a separate building and Petey assumed she was finished. However, she again drove out onto the track, this time in a unique biker suit, and on a motorcycle titled the Shooting Star.  
Petey and King Boo couldn't help but stare, along with all of the male audience members, overcome by the beauty and grace she commanded on the track. Before they knew it, she skidded to a stop at the starting line, having already completed her bike qualification. After she drove the bike back and changed, she looked for and found Petey Piranha and King Boo among the spectators' seating. After a few other qualification laps, King Boo was called, and even later it was Petey's turn. He was told to choose from a variety of karts, and that his qualifying kart may be his tournament kart. This also applied to bikes, he was told he would decide on the day of the tournament, and he must prove that he can hold his own with the other racers. There was one particular kart that caught his interest, called the Barrel Basher. It had a large, sturdy body designed after barrels. However, he had trouble choosing a bike, and eventually decided that the only one he could balance on was a bullet-shaped one called the Spear. Its speed was unrivaled among the bikes, and it was heavy, but performed quite poorly in all other aspects.  
Soon enough, Petey was on the track, and for the first time in years, he was driving. He had no problem remembering what to do, and the whole time he thought about how much he would enjoy kart racing with King Boo and Rosalina. He envisioned them throwing their weight around to push other karts off the tracks, setting up walls of red boxes and bananas, and how they would celebrate leaving everyone else in their dust.  
Unfortunately, the optimism shifted after kart qualification ended. Petey had a hard time balancing on the motorcycle, and suffered from only just being able to use the pedals. He directed all of his concentration on going as fast as possible and as smoothly as possible; though he struggled just to keep moving without falling over.  
Watching his progress from a screen that was wirelessly connected to Lakitu's camera, King Boo and Rosalina could hardly watch their poor friend struggle, and couldn't bear to see him crawl over the finish line. Petey was quite visibly upset, and instead of driving the bike back into the building, he picked it up and angrily slammed it into its original space. He flew to where Rosalina and King Boo were sitting, and they watched the rest of the qualifications in silence. Eventually, Petey calmed down, and attempted casual conversation several times before everyone else had finished. Regardless, the fear of the results left the situation rather tense.  
After everyone had finished, a large electronic billboard was turned on to display those who had and hadn't successfully qualified. After many of the obvious qualifiers (Mario, Peach, Yoshi, etc.) had been announced, Petey and his friends watched as the less-than-necessary racers were to be called. Rosalina was called, and it was announced that she had qualified; although she was jovial, she tried not to show it, as it may have upset Petey, despite his having calmed down. King Boo was called; and he too had qualified; though as the woman before him, he concealed his satisfaction. Finally, Petey was called, and it seemed an eternity before the results were called. Finally breaking the tension, the announcer called that Petey had failed to qualify. The reason for Petey's inability to qualify being that he was unable to adequately perform on a motorcycle and a subsequent study displayed that any other motorcycle would have resulted in similar or worse results.  
Petey was crushed, he had looked forward to this chance to spend quality time with both an old and new friend, and it was gone. All because of how he was born, with distorted proportions that had now done him more harm than ever before; and he couldn't stand the addition of those silly motorcycles, which had not been there before, and had no place in a tournament that revolved around kart racing. Rosalina put a hand over his back to try and console him, but he calmly waved it away and flew off. Rosalina attempted to follow him (as she had recently acquired pants to allow for non-revealing flight), but King Boo stopped her, and stated that based on past experience, Petey is best left alone until he cools down. He also explained that whenever Petey became downhearted about something, his sorrow almost always turned into blind rage (a significant example occurred a few years ago on Isle Delfino).  
The next day, Rosalina and King Boo set out to find and comfort Petey. Thankfully, it did not take long, as near the city, there was a large area covered in a brown, mud-like goop with Petey sitting in its center. King Boo knew better than to haphazardly approach Petey after he had been in such a bad mood, but Rosalina was not worried. She revealed some Star Bits, and tossed them down to Petey, whose attention had been caught by their scent. After he ate them, he knew Rosalina must be nearby. Soon enough, she and King Boo floated into ground-level view. They approached Petey, who looked like an apologetic child after a tantrum. King Boo spoke first, telling Petey that there were plenty of other racers who hadn't qualified (such as Blooper who couldn't work the wheel and Goomba who couldn't pedal and drive.), but it did not really make Petey feel any better.  
Petey then admitted how much he looked forward to kart racing with them, but that because of those new bikes he was unfairly prevented from racing with them, despite having been in actual kart races (and having the trophies to prove it)Rosalina suggested that she and King Boo refuse to race without him, but Petey told them that that would also be unfair. She then told him that they would not at all be hurt if he did not go and watch them race, but Petey concluded that he would not allow his own misfortune to rain on their parade. He apologized for not congratulating them and that it was selfish not to do so simply because of fear that he may not race. He then promised that he would go and cheer for them regardless of his own feelings towards the tournaments. He then simply put his head down, indicating there was no more to be said.  
A few days after, it had been the night before the race, and the karts had already been shipped to the first track. After the track had been locked, it found itself being visited by a lone figure. Rosalina had flew to the track, and brought with her unique tools and engineering instruments. Every character could choose from any kart, but she was only interested in her choices. She managed to locate the karts, and found them in the large garage. She went over to her karts, but was only really looking for the Barrel Basher. After having found it, she kneeled down next to it and proceeded to work with her tools.  
By morning she had finished her work and left, with plenty of time before the racers were to gather. In this time, she searched for Petey, who was sleeping just outside the track. She headed back to her comet to sleep for a couple of hours, and eventually headed to where the racers were to gather.  
The loud crowds had woken up Petey in the meantime, and he could tell it was time for the races to start. He quickly flew into the seating area of the track and found a seat near the starting line. Staying true to his word, he set aside his anger at the kart racing situation, and calmly waited for the arrival of King Boo and Rosalina. Soon enough, various karts and racers began to appear at the starting line. He saw a bunch of people he was indifferent towards, and then he finally saw King Boo, whom he waved to and smiled at. Then he saw Rosalina, but not as expected.  
He thought she would be driving in the Honeycoupe from qualification, but it was not so. Petey knew they had chosen from the same array of karts, but her vehicle was not at all one that he had remembered. It had a similar build as the Barrel Basher, but it was almost exactly in Petey's likeness! It was announced with some surprise as the Piranha Prowler, and Petey was stunned beyond words. Just then, the driver looked up at him and smiled. Petey also suddenly found himself joined by a Luma, who told him that Rosalina wanted him to know that now it didn't matter if he wasn't on the track in person, because she would ensure that he could always be on the track in spirit. With this, Petey knew that if he had eyes, he would be crying. The Luma then joined Rosalina and gave her Petey's thanks.  
Rosalina herself was feeling as ready as she ever would be. She may have been a newbie, but she knew that with her experience moving at high speed, and Petey's moral support, she knew she couldn't lose. She stayed calm through the tension others felt from the countdown. Soon enough, the horn blew and the race began. Already able to feel victory, she rocketed from the starting position, ready to win for herself, and the redemption of her new friend, Petey Piranha.


End file.
